Gamespot reviews Galactic Civilizations II

"Galactic Civilizations II is a strategy gamer's dream, boasting a rare mix of depth, customizability, humor, and replayability. "

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/galacticcivilizations2/review.html?sid=6145309
from GalCiv2 Forums

   

The Gamespot review is in..

"Galactic Civilizations II is a strategy gamer's dream, boasting a rare mix of depth, customizability, humor, and replayability. "

This is one of the most in-depth reviews we've seen yet.  Gamespot was one of the first places the review copies were sent and it is clear from reading the text of the review that they played the game thoroughly. 

For example, the reviewer even touches on how the screens themselves are moddable (using DesktopX):

While there is a plethora of game features that we haven't mentioned here, such as a galactic United Nations that raises issues that all races vote upon that impact your empire, extensive trade and diplomacy with other races, and much more, one that is worth highlighting and that follows the thesis of letting you have it "your way" is the completely open nature of the game's user interface. The game screens are stored in a directory and can be easily modified. The game is also designed such that there is no limit to the polygons it can handle; users are already showing off incredible Star Wars-based ships with extremely high polygon counts.

It concludes with:

One of the greatest compliments is the comparison to Civilization IV that many people are making. Suffice it to say that Galactic Civilizations II is different in many ways than Civ IV, but stands next to it as one of the all-time best 4X strategy games.

The Gamespot score is 9.0.  Gamespot rarely gives out ratings over 8.9.  In fact, Gamespot has not given a PC game a 9 or better since last October -- when it reviewed Civilization IV. 

Check out the full review.

29,964 views 39 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Seriously, although I am glad the Gamespot give it a 9.0, I think it should be at least as high as Civilization IV's 9.4.

I can tell that although the Gamespot reviewer has played the game thoroughly, just as Frogboy has suggested, it's definitely the first time the reviewer has played this sort of game, not to even mention GC1. I think that's the primary reason why the game's score did not rise above 9.0.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Jeff Lackey is a pretty well known strategy game reviewer.  The overall rating I suspect has something to do with no multiplayer.
ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
good job guys.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well the 9.0 grade is certainly deserved (and it should be even higher!). The Norwegian site gamer.no also liked the game and gave it a 8/10 (which is really good. A 9/10 is extremely rare). Go Stardock
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Been playing it as much as possible over the last week and really enjoyed every minute of it, it's a lovely game and something I've been looking for for a long time. For your community support and openness you deserve every success.

Live forever Apes.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats.. Now if only that %@#%@#ed Yahoo 4/5 score weren't hurting your average.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well Deserved. It's been a very long time waiting for a good 4X TBS, and a very long time since a game kept me fixed before the screen without noticing the hours passing (last one was Alpha Centauri...). Even though I prefer a completely serious game, the little humour is bearable. And respect to the AI, I couldn't fool it up to this point... but it could me!
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top



I don't often post on reviews I wrote, but now that the review is in I can go into fan mode. As to the comment that it's the first time I've played a game like this - I'll betray my age and let ya know I've been playing and writing about computer games and strat games in particular since about 1980. I was one of the first to play and review Gal Civ 1 (as well as most other Stardock games.)

Why didn't it get a 10? Well, first let me comment that I hate number ratings - I prefer the words speak for themselves. Brad will tell you why he likes scores, but as a writer I hate having to sum up the review into a number. Add to that different scoring systems for different sites and magazines. I'd have probably gotten a 5/5 through at CGM or CGW, but oddly enough you'll never see a 10/10 at Gamespot. A 9 is the highest rating I've ever had on a game at Gamespot , and understand that is a VERY high score for a PC game there. I don't think I would have rated Civ 4 as a 9.4 - I think for the initial release version (remember, we have to review the unpatched release version) I would give GC2 a 9 and Civ 4 a 9.1.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nice one. I've been with you guys since the first GalCiv, and you've absolutely outdone yourselves. Great podcast, great games, great company. Saludos desde Puerto Rico!
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
it would be very scary to have to compare galciv 2 and civ 4. Civ 4 was a masterpiece but as I play galciv 2, i am finding that it is simply a better game overall.

In the spirit of the olympics, Civ 4 is like Michelle Kwan. Perfect poise and elegance. But GalCiv has nearly the same level of poise and arrogance but has a noticeable edge in what it can do.

In 6 months, I think more people who have both will still be playing gc2 than Civ4. The replayability is just a bit better imo. That's not taking anything away from civ 4, it's going to be a classic. But there are times when I play civ 4 that I feel the limits on it as a canned good.
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats to the entire team. I'm a paying member of Gamespot and 9.0 is truely a impressive score. I concur that the no multiplayer is one of the thing that hurt the overall score.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Here's the trap people should avoid - one doesn't have to be "better" than the other. Ya know what I mean? They are both great games, and in my opinion pretty different in many ways. I think they complement each other fairly well. They are both so much better than 99% of the stuff out there today. So many games today are so clearly designed by committee, with execs looking over shoulders saying "OK, you need to stop worrying about the AI because everyone is going to be playing multiplayer anyway, and give us more cool cut scenes and graphics for the box art and ad campaign." And so many games are clearly pushed out the door before they are ready. I actually reviewed a game a couple of years ago by a designer that I have tremendous respect for, and I felt so bad for him because they were forced to release it before it was done to meet a Wal-Mart deadline. It actually had entries in pull down menus that said "insert graphic here." Obviously, I tore it apart in the review (which hurt, because the lead developer was such a great guy who hated the decision forced on him) and I even had a PR person call me and tell me not to review the boxed version and to wait for the "special" edition (i.e., the finished one.)

So many games these days spend their budget on big name movie or other licenses and then just assume they can throw a game up around it and it will sell (and sadly they are often correct.) Gamers should applaud the very rare games like GC2 and Civ4, IMO
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It is nice to see a professional reviewer of computer games loves the game almost as much as I do!
And I will continue to spread the word to the uninitiated.
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It is nice to see a professional reviewer of computer games loves the game almost as much as I do!
And I will continue to spread the word to the uninitiated.


Heh, the best reviewers/writers I know are just ardent and experienced gamers who have been lucky enough to be able to write without sucking too much.
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hey Citizen Jeff Lackey,

Thanks a lot for coming here! Sorry for the previous comment about you giving the game a "low" score and the reason being that you're new to this type of games.

I admit that I am a bit overhyped with Gal Civ 2; I just believe that if Civ 4 gets a 9.4, Gal Civ 2 should get at least a 9.2. I am glad to hear that in your scale, GC2 is only a point away from Civ4. This is really a huge honor for GC2, considering the fact that the game only has about 1/6 of the funding that Civ4 has.

Again, thanks for coming here! It's the first time that I've ever seen a game reviewer in the forum of the game he has reviewed. Really cool.
Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I thought it was a very well written, even, and honest review. Great score for a great game. I think that the "Editor's Choice" award should mean more than the numerical score.

Quite an honor, and very well deserved. I haven't had this much fun playing a game since Rise of Nations. That should tell you something.
Reply #20 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My opinion of Gamespot has gone up by 10X. Any zine that has writers like Mr. Lackey who spend the time to participate on a forum such as this is one worthy of respect.
Reply #21 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
More reviews.

http://www.firingsquad.com/games/galactic_civilizations_ii_review/

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/galactic-civilizations-ii/693427p1.html?RSSwhen2006-03-03_134400&RSSid=693427
Reply #22 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I am purchasing this game and downloading now off of the strength of the Gamespot review. I respect that site very much.

Though Civ 4 does have the advantage of multiplayer, how about the argument that the AI in Galciv 2 is far superior to that of Civ? I don't understand why the Stardock designers can create a competent "no cheating" AI and yet the team at Civ still can not do so at the higher difficulty levels. It is the exact same genre, with many similar mechanisms! The AI already has an advantage in it is better able to computer distances and optimal growth patterns. I could even continence a "map hack" of sorts in favor of AIs. But letting AIs have extra resources or fewer costs is just PLAIN WRONG and drags down the entire Civ series in my eyes.
Reply #23 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
But letting AIs have extra resources or fewer costs is just PLAIN WRONG and drags down the entire Civ series in my eyes.


yeah but what ya going to do

and that is probably why right now im really enjoying galciv2 alot better than civ4 granted civ 4 was amazing and there are things in civ 4 that i would like to c in galciv2 but the overall single player package is... amazing and not dummed down to get a multiplayer in there
Reply #24 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well done stardock you utterly deserve it; gamespot and pc gamer are the two big reviews for pc games and you got one ace so far.

I hope this persuades you to do seveal exapansions over the next few years; I for one will buy anything you make. I got battle for middle earth 2 yesterday and as great as it is, on the same day I bought it I still went back to gal civ 2 for an hour!

You can't get much higher praise than that!
Reply #25 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
9.0 is on-point. GCIII will be 9.5, guys so don't complain, LOL! Looking forward to see more of the major web magazines giving props to this magnificent game.